ARM and GlobalFoundries have signed an agreement to develop System-on-Chip (SoC) technology for ARM processors using GlobalFoundries' 20-nanometer design and FinFET process.

ARM and GlobalFoundries have signed an agreement to develop System-on-Chip (SoC) technology for ARM processors using GlobalFoundries' 20-nanometer design and FinFET process.

The duo have been teaming up for a number of years to optimise ARM's Cortex-A series of processors, but this latest deal will extend their contract and allow for the design of new SoC solutions for not only ARM CPUs, but also GPUs, in the increasingly popular mobile market.

Under the terms of the agreement ARM will develop a full platform of its Artisan Physical IP, with standard cell libraries, memory compilers and POP IP solutions. This should then improve the performance and power-efficiency of devices employing ARM technology.

GlobalFoundries' contribution will be the process technology for its 20-nanometer design, providing up to 40 percent improved performance and twice the gate density of 28-nanometer, in addition to its three-dimensional FinFET transistor technology. This will allow for optimised versions of the ARM Cortex processor and Mali graphics processor, adding to existing technology built using a 65-nanometer, 55-nanometer or 28-nanometer process.

“This early engagement promotes the rapid adoption of ARM and GLOBALFOUNDRIES technologies in future SoCs for several important markets,” said Simon Segars, EVP and GM of the Processor and Physical IP divisions at ARM. “Customers designing for mobile, tablet and computing applications will benefit extensively from the energy-efficient ARM processor and graphics processor included in this collaboration. By proactively working together to enable next-generation 20nm-LPM and FinFET process technologies, our mutual customers can be assured a range of implementation options that will enable two more generations of advanced semiconductor devices.”